woensdag 30 november 2022

Jerky Dirt – Chirality

 

 

Jerky Dirt – Chirality
Self released – 2022
Rock, Stoner, Fuzz, Grunge, Psych
Rated: ***

You looking to get your fuzz on? Are you looking to get grungy? Stonerized? Are you looking? Are you looking in a mirror and seeing the new album from solo project Jerky Dirt flash before your eyes? Then nothing is wrong and everything is rocking. Cause it’s called Chirality and will surely make you drift along the desert currents and Synaptic Seas. Opening track Adrift On Synaptic Seas, with its warm instrumental bliss, has all the right colors to make you swim through that stoner and desert rocking flow. Following track Through The Mirror in fact has more synapse snapping guitar parts and drum work than that opener, the grungy, nineties era vocals sit nice on top of all that rhythmic ruckus. This Seems Familiar is the third track and paints a slow-moving stream, before turning it fuzzy again towards the end and introducing a few vocal lines. Which turns this track into something special and different. Fourth track Another Life is the almost nine minute long battleship of the album, a bouncy, steamy, desert rocking beauty. Beelzebubba follows, imploring even more grunge and some Palm Desert touches, with a break in the middle that will surely make the devil do a dirty shuffle. And then there are seven more tracks, all as warm to the touch as the first five. But that seems only logical, cause Beelzebubba was there for Jerky Dirt. That’s why Jerky Dirt dedicated the Chirality album to (Beelze)Bubba…


And you might wanna scroll down a bit… Cause there might be a few codes for you to enjoy!
Thanks to the rascally devil that is Jerky Dirt!

(Written by JK)


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Codes:

5r4-bkx6
k92v-vnss
utx8-6ahd
lket-y7pc
4y63-7j7w
42yw-vka4
acst-vgfm
zw9k-54wg
dkjy-yupc
szgn-7v7w
s2kx-j9a4
k7eh-y93m
umrs-bzl6
v8ms-wzvy
9kre-cg6r
z3mb-w39l
na8m-cw6j
w9z7-hs8k
ey2v-5s39
8uv8-7ddz
tlgt-5lwg
tpk3-7ed3

maandag 28 november 2022

Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

DeWolff
Ruben Block
Abrams
Arthur Brown
Odonata
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Acid Witch
Robot God
Candlemass
Dario Mars and The Guillotines

My sincere apologies for the lack of updates recently, but we have been swamped with work. The rent needs to be paid, and those ever-rising energy bills as well, as we all know. Some of the stuff was the usual horrible and annoying crap, but we also had some very fun interview assignments as well. That’s what keeps our energy level up! Spoke to Pablo from DeWolff, to Ruben from Triggerfinger and to Arthur. Or should we say, the Crazy Sir Arthur Brown! Got another one lined-up for Wednesday, but until then, we’re back to the horrible stuff for two days. Good news though, that Gravitational Perturbation album by Odonata is damn addictive! Good kicks! Check’m out! Check’m all out!

zondag 27 november 2022

Robot God – Worlds Collide

 

 

Robot God – Worlds Collide
Kozmik Artifactz – 2022
Rock, Stoner,
Rated: ****

Worlds Colllide came out in the middle of September of this year and is the sophomore full-sized release by Sydney, Australia trio Robot God. Four chugging tracks that marry stoner to a bit of psych, space, and doom and all brought to you with an intense and pristine production value. Indeed, the mix is so well done, that the lighter moments will immediately make you soar through space and the heavy make you stomp on the terra like a wild animal. Which of course is one way to make Worlds Colllide. Take opener Sleepwalking, with its eleven minutes, the abundance of riffs and solo’s tumbling over each other, the way the vocals take the exact amount of light and that airy drum, it will indeed make you dream, make you feel the electricity in the air and feel your hairs stand up. It’s one of the songs; with all these different layers and sections that have this lingering ability. They will stay with you as you move on to the following track. And you probably don’t even want to, with that atavistic rolling stoner riff ending. As the Floydian opening of Ready To Launch, transitions into the riveting rock, with the drums offering cues to what’s coming you will indeed be ready. Ready for the wild ride that will surely come, the rhythmic moves, the guitar pushing and pulling. Subtle, yet punishing and with no resistance possible. Two more tracks will follow, with title track Worlds Collide closing the Robot God show, their show on Earth, for even though that track will take the spacey cues through the vocals, much of it sounds much more grounded and yet still retains some of that impressionistic touch they started out with, and that middle section will surely mesmerize. What a fine ride! And hey, did not come in for nothing on that Fourth spot of the September Doom Charts. So, if you haven’t ridden with the Robot God yet, you’d better get your spacey stoner groove on! And if you scroll further down, we might just have the fix for you!


(Written by JK)


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And we’ve got a handful of bandcamp codes for you all to enjoy!
Thank you Robot God!

Redeem here:


CODES:

2smh-vx7r
jvw2-wfsm
7bj5-hphg
vdbb-v2p3
9qvl-gdus
nbbq-uhal
wvx7-ej3e
c9ev-3ydu
e3rr-xf4p
rxmw-epj2



Dream Unending – Song Of Salvation


 

Dream Unending – Song Of Salvation
20 Buck Spin – 2022
Metal, Death, Doom, Psych, Prog, Ambient
Rated: ***

Back in 2021 the duo operating under the name Dream Unending released their debut effort Tide Turns Eternal and now, one year later, that two-piece returns with Song Of Salvation. It took only one year for Derrick Vella of Tomb Mold (guitar, 12 string guitar, bass) and Justin DeTore of Innumerable Forms (drums, vocals) to find out what worked on that first album and make it better. Those of you that follow the HiVe from time to time know that I’m not the biggest aficionado of the guttural vocals, but one must confess that much of the use of those on the new album Song Of Salvation do fit the moment. On the other hand, the more prog, ambient, and psychedelic moments seem to work even better. That hard edge, that grim take coupled with the serene prog of the yesteryear give it this dreamlike quality and offer as much in melancholy colors as it does for more hopeful attitudes. Which seem to come perfectly together in that final sixteen-minute-long track Ecstatic Reign. A hefty metal groove, that rides on the waves of a riff that sounds like the unending quality the duo is aiming for starts your journey and slowly churns away at the liquid, gradually turning it into the synth progression that offers the listener a joyful trance. Another highlight is without doubt the use of trumpet, especially in that second track Secret Grief, once again touching on something melancholic, mournful, and remorseful. Sometimes you feel Dream Unending might have tried to aim for and actually reached something that wasn’t even their ambition and sometimes it might sound like too ambitious. And whether you can hear where that statement is coming from or not, and whether you are a devotee or a reluctant for the guttural vocals, it’s evident Song Of Salvation is a step forward from Tide Turns Eternal and all we can hope for, is that there will be another next step, next year…


(Written by JK)


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Candlemass – Sweet Evil Sun

 

 

Candlemass – Sweet Evil Sun
Napalm Records – 2022
Metal, Doom
Rated: ****

The official release was some ten days ago, but the new Sweet Evil Sun by legendary Candlemass has been spinning over here for quite a few weeks now. They are legends, not just because they’ve been around for ages, but because they blew us all away with their debut album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus back in 1986. And sure, we’ve been enjoying many great albums by many different incarnations of Candlemass ever since. But since the return of the original Epicus Doomicus Metallicus vocalist Johan Langquist back in 2019, we can honestly say we’ve been listening to the Candlemass we dig most. The Door To Doom and the ‘left-over’ album The Pendulum immediately seemed to grab me and apparently a lot of you as well more and more. The new album Sweet Evil Sun will surely do the same. We’re here to enjoy the Candlemass of old, that traditional doom metal, with its sluggish rhythm, its laborious riffs, the occasional tempo shift and the rumbling bass. Colorful, shiny solos and that ragged voice of Langquist. Added vocals on When Death Sighs, from Avatarium vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith, gives that track the perfect element for Langquist to bounce off. But most of the tracks go back to the roots, the roots of that epic and grandiose doom metal that Leif Edling once planted. Classic Candlemass delivers another classic.



(Written by JK)


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donderdag 24 november 2022

Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Elder
Grandier
Samavayo
Planes Mistaken For Stars
Diggeth
Guara
Shamanic Ritual
Gaupa
Deseret
Edna

This should have gone up on Monday… Obviously. But, well, Helldorado happened and we’re swamped with other work. So, updates might be few and far between for a week… Should magic happen and we get all the work done quickly, we will be getting down to some Doom Charts and Stoner HiVe business tomorrow… Or perhaps surely… Cause we all know what day it is tomorrow… Grin!

woensdag 16 november 2022

World Wide Full Album Premiere – Grandier - The Scorn And Grace Of Crows

 

    

World Wide Full Album Premiere

Grandier - The Scorn And Grace Of Crows

We’re honored to bring you the World Wide Full Album Premiere of Grandier’s new album The Scorn And Grace Of Crows. A full review will follow shortly; but here are some quick words of praise to take with you as you dive headfirst into this doom metal tour de force. Written, performed, recorded, mixed and produced by the duo of Patrik Lidfors and Lars Carlberg, all aspects of this album are commanding and opting for huge gestures and gigantic vistas. Slow, lumbering doom, pounding their message into your heart with precision, and with an almost velvet touch. Indeed, this doom, even though it’s large in atmospheric scale is also gentle and often even tender. Not in its message or intend, but with that gradual and measured doom caress… Mastered by Monolord’s Esben Willems at Studio Berserk, and out on Majestic Mountain Records, the duo will be aided from now on by Hampus Landin formerly from Swedish folkmetal band Taiga on drums, but the album was finished before he joined and the result The Scorn And Grace Of Crows is an album as strong as granite and as graceful as a flower…  And how about that lovely album artwork by Thomas Moe Ellefsrud (Hypnotist Design) ?!

Now go, and get lost… In The Scorn And Grace Of Crows… 



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dinsdag 15 november 2022

The Grand Mal - The Grand Mal II

 

 

The Grand Mal - The Grand Mal II
APF Records - November 2022
Stoner, hard rock, grunge
Rated: *****

The follow up to Oxford rockers The Grand Mal's 2019 debut is, without exaggeration, my most anticipated album of the past couple years, and "The Grand Mall II" does not disappoint. Building off their rock-solid, blues and stoner informed belter of a first record, the Oxford lads' sophomore effort retains their hard-hitting energy while further refining and tweaking the sound with new wrinkles and somehow even more swagger. The songs ooze with attitude, in large part thanks to the one-of-a-kind vocal performance of singer Dave-O, whose sneering high notes are reminiscent of Ozzy, but with a punk edge that offers an extra bite. An added nuance is his use of hushed tones in between clean croons and all-out belting, an approach that ratchets up the anticipation for the next big riff when contrasted with the bombshell drumming and churning guitar (see "Shallow" for a prime example). And hot damn, those riffs. Lee Cressey and Ryan Cole serve them up blistering hot, stomping out barnstormers like the adrenaline-fueled "Petit Mal" and winding through infectious grooves a la Clutch in "Seas of Glory". Not to mention possibly the heaviest cut on the album, "Hellbound Blues", an unrelenting facemelter that grinds and pushes, only taking a breath for a funky, bluesy chorus before diving back in. As much as it's a guitar-driven rock album, of course "II" owes much of its heft and inexhaustible energy to the rhythm section of drummer (and Cole twin) Elliot and bassist Rob Glen. From the clattering madcap percussion of "Petit Mal" to the authoritative and crisp work on "Seas of Glory", the drums make themselves known with volume and force, driving each track forward like a battering ram while the slabs of bass lay down sinister groove after groove and hold up the band's wall of sound without breaking a sweat. Not satisfied with just cranking out A-one heavy, though, The Grand Mal sprinkle in shorter cuts and interludes throughout "II", creating beautiful transitions between rockers with the bright and shimmering instrumental "The Lingering" and the spacey, grandiose "Empire of Vultures", which leads into the Led Zeppelin acoustic epic "Bloodmoon" to close out the album with class. The Grand Mal's sophomore work is confident, experimental in all the right places, and groovy as can be. This is how heavy modern rock is done, people.


(Written by Kyle SB / Shastabeast)


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zondag 13 november 2022

Mecanicos – Nomade

 

 

Mecanicos – Nomade
Self released – 2022
Rock, Stoner, Sludge, Doom, Psych
Rated: *****

We're all astronauts, really, aren't we; interstellar astronauts, travelling so far into the blackness we can never return. And we’d better have some kick ass music with us to keep us going! As soon as those first gnarly tones hit you… That lumbering opening of that first stonerrock track El fantasma de Belgrado on their new album Nomade you know the trio from Mecánicos are some real heavy mothersludgers; some ten-ton heavy motherfuzzers! Mecánicos hails from Argentina and is comprised out of Guido Braini on drums, Martin Siris on bass and Luis Braini on guitar and vocals. Formerly known as Mecánicos de Satán they already released their Dos album in 2013, Odisea in 2017 and an EP called El increíble sonido de los Mecánicos de Satán and the band formed in 2006. Where they named it in honor of the Ford Pinto, the famous car from the seventies, that immediately exploded upon collision, burning the passengers inside. Now, that’s a righteous reason to name your band Mecánicos de Satán! We already mentioned that amazing opening track; they continue that heaviness, that fuzzy and sludgy influence but on the second track ‘La maquina se detiene’, the open it up with soaring vocals, that gliding guitar that immediately turn it more of a spacey stonerrock odyssey. Now, we realize the album art will surely push the listener into that direction anyway. But you soon have this feeling, even though my Spanish is severely limited, you are listening to the exploits of a space drifter that looks back at earth from all those million miles away and is saddened but what he sees. Third track Solaris enhances that emotion; with that lonely guitar sound in the middle before that slow rising end starts. The way they use those circling riffs, rumbling drums on many of the tracks also give off a bit of Greenleaf air; which everybody will say, is a good thing! There were a few times listening to this album where I wished the vocals had been a tiny more up front in the mix. But on the last session before jotting all this down, they actually felt perfect. Just check out fifth track Red Alert, it feels pushed back, but it will still make you ball your fist, wave it in everyone’s general direction and scream along, mouthing all the wrong words. Seventh track ‘Caras en el parque’ with its driving rhythm, that propelling drum work, has this ghostly element to it, but will also make you want to dance. Eight track Misa has you soaring off into space again and tenth final track Replicas closes the album off in fine stonerrock form. And if you are not in love with this album by now… Well… Love Is The One Thing we're capable of perceiving That Transcends dimensions of Time And Space. And Mecánicos seems to hint at that once again. This world’s a treasure… Giving us so much… And Nomade is here to give you even more!


(Written by JK)


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And the great guys from Mecánicos were so cool as to share a few codes with you all...

REDEEM HERE

Codes:

xex7-knrr
j84a-gmhl
fusr-u6pe
lwqw-e673
qp8c-uym4


zaterdag 12 november 2022

High Noon Kahuna – Killing Spree

 

 

High Noon Kahuna – Killing Spree
Self released / Mettle Media PR
Rock, Surf, DoomGaze, Noise, Psych, Punk
Rated: *****

Out next week… But spinning relentlessly over here for quite some weeks now: Killing Spree by trio High Noon Kahuna. It’s here to bend your brain a bit, and to make you lust for a stormy night outside, while you read through The Last Voyage Of Captain Cook again, or Mark Twain’s Letters From Hawaii. Or at least finish a bottle of dubious rum and spend some time with the ghost of Captain Cook down at Refuge Point, for Killing Spree sounds like somewhere deep in the undercurrent of this majestic album you can hear whispers of native legends, stories of old wars, and of course the strange and terrible fate of the Captain. But in truth, this is only because Kahuna alludes to the Hawaiian islands and there is a definite threatening surf rock element; for the three good old boys are from Frederick, Maryland, USA and probably a hundred miles from the nearest ocean. Even so, the trio of veteran heavy music musicians with Tim Otis on guitar (Admiral Browning / Akris), Brian Goad on Drums (Internal Void / The Larrys), and Paul Cogle on Bass and Vocals (Akris / Black Blizzard) sound like they know a thing or two about going off on a mystical tangent and about doing a great run. Opener Parachute starts with a skateboard rushing by, a wicked drum rhythm setting you up for that Dick Dale, Eastern tinged surf guitar you know is coming. And once it hits, so does the careening vocals, revving you up for a good run. In the park, in the ocean or in a mosh, this is the surf of legends. But then following track Danger Noodle and single, ups the ante, and gives the opener a run for its money. Menacing, threatening, with an intense drive and maddening surf groove, Danger Noodle worms its way without any qualms into your heart, brain and soul. This is the kind of music that would give your car an extra hundred miles even when you have run out of fuel. Third track Sharktooth and fourth, the other single, Another Way Around feel like they are answering each other and the questions they might have asked. But where Sharktooth keeps its cards close to its chest and rambles on, with that punky, skater attitude. Another Way Around opens up and often feels like that moment between swells where you await the coming of that perfect wave. And of course it comes and if you aren’t ready and don’t catch it you shall and will wipeout. Or perhaps you did, and crashed onto the beach. Where fifth track Black Lodge, picks you up and has you slowly and dizzy lumbering off into the brush behind, to see if you can scare up another bottle of dark plantation rum or push one of those pesky Keith Richards out of a palm tree. With a lot of surf, circling riffs, bobbing bass work, sweet and choppy drumming, they spin the yarn of a few tension arcs, before ending it all with a pretty scary almost extradimensional dread. Closing track Sandstorm is here to show the squares you can surf in the desert as well. Almost ten noisy, doomy, stoner soaked, and steaming hot minutes of fierce guitar work, and blistering clamor that ends with everything in the vicinity of the three artists being struck before the distortion slowly dies away… And you can finally come up for a bit of air… Not sure about what we just jotted down, and I guess we can blame my mania for that. My passion, and my slavery to it. There is little balance between my brain and my soul, and when the fire is lit, I can only watch the fuse sizzle away before it all explodes in hail of love and weird brainwaves. Which sort of feels fitting for High Noon Kahuna... For what I do know is that I love this Killing Spree and High Noon Kahuna can ask me for a drink every time we should meet…


(Written by JK)


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vrijdag 11 november 2022

Tentacula - Estrella Destruida

 

 

Tentacula - Estrella Destruida
StoneFree Records - March 2022
Doom, psych, garage rock, surf rock
Rated: ****

One of my first Stoner HiVe reviews was Austrian crew Tentacula's stellar debut effort, and I would be remiss to not also call some well-deserved attention to their sophomore album "Estrella Destruida", out this past March. The band's fuzzy grooves and surf rock nuances carry over into their latest, but to a lesser extent as the band dive into a darker, heavier, occult-tinged sound. The shift in vibe is immediately present in opener "Shadows", which kicks off with a ringing guitar lick and an avalanche of crunchy distortion, haunting and heavy. Highlight track "Garaje" then shifts the record into high gear, with bouncing riffs as scuzzy as can be while maintaining surf rock stylings and energy. Vocalist Penny Slick Perry's husky, charismatic tones growl and soar amid the madness, dripping with attitude and bringing the tune to another level of kickassery. The story of "Estrella Destruida" isn't all rock 'n roll attack, however, as Tentacula explore a range of atmospheres and sounds across the remaining tracks. Standouts "Trip Patterns" and "Warning Signs" bring beautifully spare guitar plucking and patient kitwork, while "Birds Whispering" and "No Place For Ponies" further toy with surf tendencies, twisting Dick Dale's vision into something threatening and raw. "Estrella Destruida" is a sophomore effort of a special band who aren't content to sit still, but rather grow and deepen their sound, for which the heavy underground can count itself lucky.


(Written by Kyle SB / Shastabeast)


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donderdag 10 november 2022

3 Wheeler Band – In The Name Of The Holy Riff

 

 

3 Wheeler Band – In The Name Of The Holy Riff
Gravitoyd Heavy Music – 2022
Rock, Stoner
Rated: ****

Hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, the three hombres from the 3 Wheeler Band have been all over the Doom Charts with their new album In The Name Of The Holy Riff. As a Halloween Freebie give-away session and of course on the latest, October, edition of said charts. And rightfully so, for the new album In The Name Of The Holy Riff is indeed a grand stoner rock, seventies infused golden plaque for that almighty riff! Opener Holy Riff is there like a chiseled-out tablet of granite stonerrock, giving the listener the commandments of the Holy Riff. Stoner, desert, down tuned dirtiness, and a whole lot of attitude. That midsection speed up, the rumbling drumwork, that unrelenting riffwork, the guitar solo; what an opening track. And that approach they keep going throughout the record, imploring some punk touches here or there, a whole lot of fuzz and a keen understanding of the blues roots. The darker riff opening second track Xhan – Xhan, if only they would have let it run on longer, luckily it returns after that first break. And the vocals, often reminiscent of the Oliveri hue, so much even that there are occasions you think Mondo Generator moved to Mexico and changed their name. And then there are tracks like Jimi Sabbath, doing exactly what the name suggest. Or Sin City, turning it all into more eighties and sleaze. A whole lot of attitude, a whole lot of quality, and a whole lot of riffs! Riffs that grow stronger every time you listen to 3 Wheeler Band!  


(Written by JK)


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And the great guys from 3 Wheeler Band have kindly provided some bandcamp codes for you all!

 
REDEEM HERE:

CODES:

x4p4-553t
jpfh-3rd7
97ws-c4x5
nwhp-waer
mpeb-cbrd
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lnxc-hde5
45ee-5c2r
e76f-bcwl
bl3l-wxde



woensdag 9 november 2022

LáGoon - Bury Me Where I Drop

 

 

LáGoon - Bury Me Where I Drop
Forbidden Place Records/Electric Valley Records - October 2022
Stoner, Garage, Punk, Doom, Proto, Psych
Rated: ****

Prolific Portland fuzz rockers LáGoon return with their seventh release "Bury Me Where I Drop", delivering their patented garage stoner with some tasty new flavors thrown into the mix. The scuzzy fuzz is as ripping as ever, riff after riff overlaid by vocals that drawl and sneer in equal parts to create an atmosphere that's stoned through and through. Opener "I See the Hate in You" is classic LáGoon, dragging itself out of the feedback to lay down rock solid proto-doom, with clattering drums and keening Soundgarden guitars making no bones about their sinister intent. Follow-up "Dead and Gone" proceeds adds some occult vibes to the noise, as winding riffage snakes into blown out chords and a singalong chorus. Things start to shake up on the third track, however, with "Bury Me" (feat. Marlo Kapsa) doling out some old school punk and even a bit of shoegaze, helped along into blissful oblivion by the dreamy, thoroughly stoned guest vocals. The good times don't roll for long, though, as highlight cut "Sharpen It" tears into the tranquility via gnarly surf rock riffs, shredding with abandon while the vocals do a one-eighty and screech with a decidedly punk edge. LáGoon's twists and turns between genres give each track extra oomph, and the final duo of "Face Down" and "Some Nerve" are no different. Contrasting with the hard-hitting "Sharpen It", "Face Down" is an instrumental ecstasy of soaring guitars and beautiful reverb, slowing down the pace with colorful psychedelia and deft, cymbal-happy drumming to add to the epic feel. Finally, the Portland crew go out with a bang in "Some Nerve", recalling the nastiness of "Sharpen It" in the bone-breaking guitar crunch and venom-filled shrieks, a pointed reminder that while LáGoon can deliver a myriad of moods and sounds, they never stop bringing the heavy. "Bury Me Where I Drop" is a confident, unquestionable release by a band who clearly know they deliver the goods and aren't afraid to stretch their wings and experiment while still maintaining their dependably top-notch rock 'n roll.


(Written by Kyle SB / Shastabeast)

Wanna read more about that crazy LáGoon and that quirky Anthony Gaglia?

Go ahead and read this way too long interview...

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Pharm – Vortex

 

 

Pharm – Vortex
Self released – 2022
Rock, Stoner, Prog
Rated: ****

Many moons ago, before the war in the western world started, we mentioned the first single Acolyte by Canadian three-piece Pharm. And now, only about a week ago, they released their full-sized debut Vortex. A wild maelstrom of heavy rock! Based on stoner and prog their constantly shifting brackets between which the three go crazy, let them implore every imaginable source of heavy rock. Often bewildering the amount of weird memories about other bands and albums that might pop up, if only for a second. Prog rock legends will come to mind, but so will Baroness, Umphrey’s McGee and Primus. Pharm is serious business, but within the cluster of ideas, the fusing element is always the energy conveyed. Offering the option to experience Vortex as a state of being. Where the two interludes offer a moment of ease, a peaceful moment in the eye of the storm. But those are short moments of respite between the stupefying amount of guitar work, masterful bass and insane drumming that all have this dizzying effect. And not just because there’s so much of it, but because it is this good. So much beauty shines through in all those highly dynamic, only seemingly chaotic tapestries of prog compositions, that you might avert your eyes at one point because it feels like you are starting directly at the heart of the sun. Opener Acolyte and following Conqueror are already freaky highlights, but Device, with its tolling bell, its punk energy sets you up properly for the Vortex ride. Crystal Ships goes absolutely bonkers with the shifts and breaks; and that middle part, yowzah! Orbiting The Vortex ends the album properly, with a nine-and-a-half-minute tour de force, showing you once again what Pharm can do before they close it all off with this weird two-minute-long ditty called Thanks. Pharm is serious business, but there’s enjoyment here as well, and I guess Thanks showcases this best. The end of a nutty, quirky, and dazzling carnival ride….


(Written by JK)


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dinsdag 8 november 2022

Thammuz – Sons Of The Occult

 

 

Thammuz – Sons Of The Occult
Argonauta Records – 2022
Rock, Stoner, Metal, Hardrock, Psych
Rated: *****

Storming out of the gates with the thrilling, fuzz ridden, stoner trucking, opener Electric Sheep, we get ready for the wild ride that is the new album Sons Of The Occult by Dutch foursome Thammuz. We set our course for the desert, that landscape accustomed to the relentless golden rays. And with sublime touches of doom and a stoner metal much of the album will rock every heavy rock loving fiend to their very core; but perhaps it’s the standout tracks of Guayota and Self-Taught Man that sets this album apart from the rest. Far apart in fact… Guayota, starts off with guitars painting a sundried, windswept landscape, slowly building towards a more smoke ridden mountainous sound. You suspect a majestic eruption, an intense explosion, but the controlled ride turns out to be the master stroke that Thammuz pulls out of its bag. Which they do on more tracks along the way, always having the listener on the edge of their seat, kicking it in overdrive when you least expect it or pulling back as soon as you start hoping for that blow out satisfaction. Self-Taught Man, quirky in subject, starts with that languid bop and stroll rhythm that you expect a grand track about a night on the town to have; but this is a different kind of night on the town. The fuzzed out, muddy middle section serves as a set up for the fulfillment that comes once the body has been dispensed. Not a killer by default, it sounds like the vocalist went out of his way to learn how to murder. Can you hear his nonchalant and casual killer demeanor? Can you hear that slithering sleaze? Are you lusting for a nice Chianti as well now? Sons Of The Occult is more eclectic than debut effort Into The Great Unknown, building on all that stoner groove they already possessed and leisurely dancing into all these different colorful cul-de-sac’s to see what they can find there. And you know the thing about cul-de-sac’s, danger lurks, knives get pulled and you might end up with more money than you had with you in the first place. Thammuz have delivered an amazing follow-up to their debut! All hail their far out fuzzy growth! All hail Thammuz! Especially since we’re also able to share a few bandcamp codes with you all… Just scroll down and thank Thammuz!


(Written by JK)


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Codes:

3mmq-vzjm
8n5a-hvzq
x5km-h9yy
nw5k-uh6g
g9n2-ky3q
33d5-kflz
898n-yzt3
9yg9-gful
3ukn-3mmj
e8k6-vg7f



maandag 7 november 2022

Ruby The Hatchet – Fear Is A Cruel Master


 

Ruby The Hatchet – Fear Is A Cruel Master
Magnetic Eye Records – 2022
Rock, Psych, Doom, Stoner, Prog
Rated: *****

Back in 2015 they reached the Number 17 position of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown of that year with their Valley Of The Snake album thanks to all the votes that came in for that album. In 2017 the follow-up to that album reached Number 19 of the Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown, and Planetary Space Child was indeed amazing. And now, five years later, Ruby The Hatchet is back, and comes out swinging with what can arguably be seen as an album to dwarf all they have done before this. It’s called Fear Is A Cruel Master and is sure to garner lot of votes from all you Stoner HiVe freaks out there that vote every year. At least, that is our considered opinion. Eight tracks that are laced with heavy psychedelic and proto doom atmospheres, provided of course by those soft and sweet smokey vocals, that wild organ and those incredibly guitar licks. This time however we see Ruby venture more and more towards a higher pop sensible sentiment and catchy sonic landscape, but without ever leaving that proto and seventies feeling behind. Of which, opener The Change, might immediately be the perfect example. Opening riffs sets the scene, the organ shimmers in the background, the drums slowly gearing up for that mid-tempo perfection. Adding the warmth of the Jillian Taylors vocals, that now seem to sit perfectly with everything Fear Is A Cruel Master brings. Soulful and vibrant, with a touch of something sultry the eight compositions sound like a signboard for Taylors kind of pitch and energy. More than often the chorus, or repeated lines just seem to keep on drifting through your head, even after final track Amor Gravis has come and gone. A hot stomping, high energy, stop and pounce kind of rocker. And then that revolving ending, all class and quality! Fear Is A Cruel Master sounds like the work of art of a band that found out exactly how their pieces needed to fit together to create a masterpiece. This feels more like Ruby The Hatchet than all those albums that came before. Something that is equal parts seductive, suggestive, and pure rock ‘n roll. Ancient and meant for a distant future, Ruby The Hatchet brings you all. And did we already mention we love the cover art?!


(Written by JK)


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Stoner HiVe’s Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

 

 

Stoner HiVe ’s
Top 10 Most Listened Albums Last Week…

Ruby The Hatchet
Thammuz
Black Space Riders
Lazer Beam
Sahg
Acid Witch
The Chop (Ghostbeef)
Abrams
All Souls
Band of Spice

After returning for my little holiday in England, work got the upper hand and limited time was there to do any work for Stoner HiVe or Doom Charts… But once the Doom Charts hits, you can bet your ass, nothing will stop me from running through all those majestic albums once again! And now, as a new week lies before us, we hope we have a tiny bit more time to HiVe, but it might be difficult this week. Next week looks glorious, like a hopeful light at the end of the tunnel…

vrijdag 4 november 2022

The Doom Charts for October 2022

 

 

Doom Charts

“Yo, when is the November Charts? I can’t live like this!”

~ Sifir Rakam
“I can’t get into doomcharts here in the UK!? The most recent entry is for 3 Wheeler Band, that Halloween posting. Has something got stuck or …?”

~ Paul Hennelly


The amount of emails and messages we received from all of you in distress about what was keeping the new Doom Charts were heartwarming. Even though we reckoned we made it abundantly clear that the publishing date for the Doom Charts had moved from the 1st of every month to the 1st Friday of every month. This would enable more Contributors to do more work for the Doom Charts and might give more credit to albums released on the final days of the month… And there are so many albums released monthly, during the whole month and on those final days that it still often feels unbearable to not be able to pay attention to them all… Below are 38 all NEW heavy rock albums! Thirthy-eight, but any shift in votes might have resulted in a different version. Cause I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the lists the Contributors posted on their own sites? Many have only a handful or perhaps a few more than a handful of votes for the same albums. And yes, you can safely bet that those other records on their respectives lists are stunning as well… Sometimes it feels wrong to not do even more for those albums, but I guess the Doom Charts are purely here to state clearly that the ones listed here, those Forty albums, of the 268 that received votes this month, are the absolute cream of the crop. The cherries on the doom pie, the pick of the heavy litter, the albums filled with every stoner bell and psychedelic whistle you can wish for… And when they arrive with such a loud bang as this months Number One… You can bet your furry little ass that it’s something special! It’s the First Friday of the Month and it’s the October Doom Charts


The October Doom Charts just went live! 


The first time we publish on the First Friday of the month... Which we will do henceforth... The Doom Charts, featuring forty heavy rock albums all ready to rock your world! Personal votes that made the list went out to:

All Souls, Black Space Riders, Elder, Liquid Earth, King Buffalo, Sahg, Black Math Horseman, Red Mess, Lágoon, Faith In Jane, Thammuz, Near Dusk, Psychonaut, Half Gramme Of Soma, Ruby The Hatchet and The Otolith...


And we shall spin all Forty of them in a row again! Starting with awesome Vampiric Visions Vol. I: Living Blood album by Lady Luna And The Devil! Go find your new favorite one or share the ones you feel should have been on the Charts!?!

Welcome to Doom Charts, representing some of the finest bloggers, journalists, radio, podcasters and reviewers from the heavy underground around the globe.  Each month, our critics submit their picks for the best new doom, sludge, metal, stoner, psychedelic and heavy rock albums.  The results are compiled and tabulated into the chart below.  This is a one-stop shop for the best new albums in the world…

 

The Doom Charts for October 2022